Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  Dedicated to Zach

  Thank you for being quiet for

  five whole minutes while I was writing.

  Legacy had watched with pride as Honor accepted her role as both a general and a princess; two very different positions for a very capable woman.

  Now, she stood facing Lord Mahuron—Justice as she had come to know him— preparing to accept her responsibilities as Queen of Alderwood.

  “Legacy, do you vow to protect and nurture the wild magic as you work to find the leaders from the Kingdom of Creatures and the Kingdom of Earth?” Justice began.

  “I do,” Legacy replied with a slight quiver in her voice.

  “Do you promise to treat all citizens of Alderwood with respect?”

  “I do,” she stated with more confidence.

  “Do you assert your right to wear the crown and sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of Man by way of your relationship to the late King Junius?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you swear to fight the temptation of the Shadow Mages and their twisted ways of using the wild magic for their own gain?”

  “I do.” Her voice held full conviction.

  Justice smiled widely, lifted the crown, and placed it upon her head.

  It was lighter than she had anticipated, even after feeling the weight in her hands more than once since the moment Honor had handed it to her still covered in their father’s blood.

  “I present to you, Queen Legacy of the Kingdom of Man!” Justice announced.

  The room exploded with cheers and whistles. Legacy took Justice Mahuron’s hand and allowed him to help her step up onto the platform where the throne rested. She locked eyes with Renata. The woman who had raised her was practically bursting with pride. Life had turned out exactly the way they had discussed. The prophecy had been fulfilled, the king was dead, and Legacy was now Queen.

  Beneath the echoes of celebration, a sound that seemed out of place drew Legacy’s attention— a tiny cough seemed to echo through the room and quiet the chattering crowd. Legacy stared at the boy as he peered around the door frame. He took a tentative step forward. He was clearly nervous and confused as his eyes darted around the room. His gaze locked on Legacy as he approached the throne.

  “Hello young man, where did you come from?” Legacy tried to keep her tone light.

  “Have you seen my father?” he asked with a shaking voice.

  Legacy glanced at Honor, hoping her sister could shed some light on the situation. Honor looked as though she was trying not to vomit, her stare was fixated on the boy.

  “Where did you last see your father, young man?” Legacy asked, reluctantly tearing her gaze from her sister to look the boy in the eyes.

  “The last time I was with him, he was here. You are sitting on his throne.”

  Legacy stared with an open mouth at the boy for a long pause then looked to her sister. Honor did not seem to share the same level of shock. Instead, she studied the boy who looked to be no more than seven or eight years of age.

  His black hair was a stark contrast to his pale, almost colorless blue eyes. Though Legacy had never seen him before, there was something beyond familiar about him. It was almost as though she should know him but had no idea why.

  “Who is your father?” Legacy had a gnawing in her stomach that told her she already knew the answer.

  “My father is King Junius.”

  Legacy felt her stomach clench. A collective gasp rippled across the crowd as she watched the color drain from Honor’s face. She was reasonably sure her face was just as ashen as her sisters. Suddenly, she remembered Honor telling her their father’s last words had been about a son. Both had assumed he was still struggling to grasp the idea that he had two daughters who had just overthrown him. How was it possible no one knew this child existed? Where had he been in the two days since their father had died? It must have been a shock for him to walk in to find a strange woman sitting upon the throne.

  “Would everyone please give us a moment?” Legacy asked those in attendance, gripping Honor’s hand to assure she didn’t leave with the crowd. “Come here, young man. We have a few questions for you.”

  The boy looked around, watched the others leave the room as they stared at him in confusion. Even Renata regarded him with concern as she passed him. Clearly, she had not foreseen the arrival of another child. Once the room was cleared and only Honor, Legacy, and the young boy remained, it was time to gather more information about where he came from and where he had been hiding.

  “What is your name?” Honor asked, crouching slightly to bring herself to his height.

  He furrowed his brow in an attempt to appear stronger than he was. “My name is Noble, the great son of the great king. Now, where is my father? I demand you take me to him at once.”

  Legacy and Honor exchanged a tense look. This boy was more than the son of the wicked king they had fought to remove from the throne—he was their little brother. There was no way to know what kind of life he had led. Their father may have mistreated him or raised him to be just like the terrible man who sired them all.

  Legacy was reeling from the fact that no one in the castle had told them there was a little boy who had been hidden away. It made her wonder if King Junius had kept his secret so well there was no one left alive to share it.

  “Noble. There is something we must tell you about your father,” Honor began.

  “About our father.” Legacy emphasized the word “our”.

  “So, it is true? I have a sister who plotted to take the throne from my father?” Noble glared at Legacy.

  “Correction, you have two sisters,” Honor interjected, earning her very own dirty look from their little brother.

  “But, if you are sitting on the throne, wearing his crown. . .” Noble trailed off as realization began to wash over him.

  Legacy tried to break the news as gently as possible. “Our father is dead.”

  “You killed him!” Noble roared as he lunged at Legacy.

  Honor caught him quickly. She held the struggling boy close to her as he began to yell and sob. She held him until he calmed enough for her to whisper in his ear. Legacy could not hear what was said, but Noble instantly turned his anger toward the sister who held him. Honor easily deflected his blows by placing her palm flat against the boy’s head. His arms were not long enough to reach her. Under different circumstances, Legacy would have found the exchange amusing.

  “Noble. I understand you are upset, and rightfully so, but I need to ask you a few questions,” Legacy spoke in her most authoritative voice.

  Both Noble and Honor stopped their struggle to look at their older sister. Legacy tried not to let her mounting feelings of excitement overrule the matter at hand. She had gone from being a lonely, only child to having a sister and now to having a sister and a brother in only one month’s time. It was too early for her to be happy or excited about the situation. She forced herself to remain calm and collected as she addressed Noble.

  “Our father was defeated the day before yesterday, where have you been hiding?”

  Noble crossed his arms and threw her a defiant look. It was clear he had gotten more from their father than she had hoped, although she and Honor could be just as stubborn when they felt the urge.

  “Listen, I do not want to be forced to hold you as a prisoner. This is your home, you are our brother, and it is our home now, too. I want us to live together, like a family. But I must know some things before that can happen. It will be much easier if you answer my questions.”

  For a moment, Noble dropped the tough act and offered a glimpse into the world he had been living in. “My mother is dead, and my father has limited the people I speak to. There are always guards outside my door,
they feed me in my tower. I only ever see my father. I did not eat at all yesterday and only once the day before. So, this morning I tried the door. It was locked, but no one yelled at me to stop, so I tried again. When I finally broke the handle off the door, I stepped into the hallway, and there was no one there.”

  “You have been kept locked in a room in the tower?” Honor gasped.

  “Well, yes. Father said he had to hide me from the world. I had to be protected.”

  Legacy furrowed her brow. “Did he say what you needed to be protected from?”

  He shrugged. “No, but I knew better than to question him. He was a very powerful man.”

  Legacy looked at Honor, hoping for some guidance on how to approach the situation. To her, it sounded as though the boy had been held prisoner by his own father. His life had been more sheltered than Legacy’s. She had at least been allowed to go outside and play with dryads! Who knew if Noble had even ever been outdoors?

  She knew they would need to watch him closely. He may have been treated like a prisoner, but Legacy reasoned that Junius had an ulterior motive for keeping his son locked away. Either the child was dangerous, or he had been raised to be like their father. His big eyes and scrawny body made him seem so innocent, it was nearly impossible to detect a hint of danger. But Legacy could see a great many things that others could not; there was something about the boy that felt wrong.

  “So, do I have to go back to the tower?” Noble was trying to look complicit.

  Legacy shook her head. “We will never lock you away again if we can help it. I am Legacy, I am your oldest sister and the new Queen of Alderwood. This is Honor, she is a few years younger than me, Princess of Alderwood and General of the Gildi. And you are our little brother, Noble, Prince of Alderwood.”

  At first, Noble did not seem to know how to respond. The possibilities started to sink in after a few moments, and a slow smile spread across his face. “So, since my—our—father is dead, that means I do not have to go back in the tower?”

  Both girls nodded at him. He grinned widely as he looked between the two of them.

  It was too early to tell how he would adjust as time progressed. Legacy would have to talk privately about how to handle Noble with her sister. It still stuck in her mind that there could be something off about the boy. How could there not be? He was raised by a power-hungry murderer. That alone made Legacy question his very existence. Junius had gone to great lengths to kill his pregnant lovers in the past, what made him spare this child? Noble told them his mother was dead, but had he known her before she met her demise? Could it be possible that there was finally a woman King Junius had decided was worthy of her life after she bore him a child?

  Honor leaned over to whisper in Legacy’s ear. “They are waiting for us right outside that door. What are we going to tell them?”

  Legacy looked at their brother. He looked so young and innocent, how could they expose him to the questions and ridicule that was waiting for him beyond that door before they knew more about him? They had to attend the coronation feast. When people heard of his sudden appearance, there would undoubtedly be questions regarding his relationship with the sisters and their late father. If they kept things from the people, were they any better than their father? How could Legacy begin her rule by withholding information? She made up her mind without having to voice her concerns aloud.

  “We tell them the truth. No matter what we may face in the future, we tell the truth.”

  Honor nodded. “I could not agree more.”

  Noble seemed to be trying to keep up with the conversation. It was clear he had no idea what was going on, but he seemed excited to be a part of something. Honor offered her hand to their brother, he hesitated for a moment before accepting it. Legacy stood on his other side and took the opposite hand. They were ready to face the rest of the coronation . . . together.

  As they opened the door, they were faced with reactions ranging from blank stares to eager anticipation. Rowan stood at the front; his questioning gaze slid between the sisters a few times before resting on Noble. No one had to voice the questions racing through their minds, Legacy could see them written all over their faces.

  “Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Prince Noble. He is the son of King Junius, a son kept hidden away from the world. We do not know much about why he was kept in a tower or what made Junius show mercy to this child when he was so dedicated to killing his other children. All we truly know is that this boy is here, he is alive, and he is our brother,” Legacy announced to the people she had grown to respect and love.

  “Amazing!” Justice ran a hand over his balding head.

  Rowan was busy introducing himself to Noble, while others were still staring in disbelief. Renata knelt in front of Noble. She took both his hands from the sisters and held them in her own. She stared into his eyes as though searching for some kind of confirmation of his identity.

  “Young man, I have seen a great many things in my many years. In all those years, I never saw you.” She looked back at Legacy and Honor as she continued to kneel before the boy. “There had to have been a plan, perhaps the Shadow Mages. . .”

  She did not finish her thought as she looked back at Noble. Renata had given a voice to everything Legacy had feared in one sentence. There were multiple reasons King Junius may have hidden his son, the most terrifying of all involved the possibility that the Shadow Mages had played a part in keeping the boy from the rest of Alderwood. A dark foreboding washed over Legacy at the thought of the Shadow Mages having any involvement in Noble’s life. How deep did Junius’ commitment to the darkness run? Had he let it consume him so entirely that he would keep a child to use as a tool? In her gut, Legacy knew the answer to both questions.

  “Noble, may I take you to the feast?” Renata offered.

  The boy was clearly overwhelmed by the attention he was receiving. He did not seem to know what to do, so he simply nodded at Renata and plastered on a smile. Against her will, Legacy released the breath she had been holding as relief washed over her; she would be able to talk to Honor about their brother soon.

  The crowd followed Renata and Noble as they made their way through the halls, heading toward the courtyard where the feast awaited. Legacy, Honor, Rowan, and Harcos stayed behind with Justice; he was to present them to the waiting crowd. As Justice stepped onto the balcony that hung over the courtyard, Honor took Legacy by the hand.

  “You and I both know something is going on. Noble may be our brother, but there must be some reason Junius kept him hidden from the world.”

  Legacy nodded. “We will talk regarding this soon. I have a few theories, but I do not like the implications of them.”

  “I do not mean to interrupt, but you must remember the boy is also your brother. He may be an innocent used as a pawn in the game your father played. Do not pass judgment on him before you have a chance to learn more about him,” Justice insisted.

  It was sound advice. Legacy intended to give their brother the benefit of the doubt, but they would leave no stone unturned in the investigation of their fathers' motives—even if it meant seeking out their enemies to demand information.

  “Now, I am starving. Can we get this part over with so we can eat something?” Justice patted his stomach for emphasis.

  The others laughed, but Legacy’s thoughts were still dominated by her concerns over the real reason Noble had been required to live in secret. She forced herself through the motions as Justice announced Honor and her titles, then turned his gaze to her.

  She stepped onto the balcony as she was presented to the people of Pallisaide as their new queen. Legacy looked over the people who had been forced under her rule. It had been centuries since Alderwood had seen a new ruler for the Kingdom of Man, and even longer since the other two kingdoms had seen representatives seated upon their thrones. Significant changes were coming for Alderwood. Some would be well-received; others may receive a less enthusiastic welcome. Lega
cy felt the weight heavily resting on her shoulders to help her people adjust from the rule of her father to a more peaceful world.

  Legacy stood at the door of the room Noble had been held in for the entirety of his young life. The room was surprisingly well-appointed, considering it was basically a prison cell. Noble had a comfortable bed, a few toys, plenty of books, and his own private bathroom. It was unclear as to whether those things were provided out of love or perhaps guilt.

  Legacy had wanted to see the room herself to determine what kind of childhood her brother had been subjected to. Other than being a prisoner, it did not seem he had been treated terribly. Never having met the king while he was alive, she could not say it was hard to imagine him doting on a child, but she felt in her gut that it was probably out of character. A talk with Noble about his experiences with their father was in order. It seemed impossible that a cruel man capable of murder would be fit to parent any child. There was also the question of what had become of Noble’s mother. Had she been killed when he was a newborn, or was he given time with her?

  The only thing Legacy could be sure of was that all three of Junius’ children had been born for a reason. Honor was born to kill their father, Legacy had been destined to restore Alderwood, so it only made sense that Noble was meant to have an impact on their world. The most crucial question remained—was that impact going to help or hinder the work his sisters had done.

  Renata had offered to look after Noble while Honor and Legacy began their journey across Alderwood to spread the news of their new queen. According to the Makt soldiers who had defected at the start of the battle, Junius had ordered most of the Makt to return to Pallisaide in preparation for the impending threat presented by the Resistance. The real concern Legacy now faced was the number of Makt soldiers still patrolling villages across Alderwood who had no idea their king was dead and would likely put up a fight when the Gildi arrived.

  Honor was pushing for Legacy to stay at the castle, which was the logical option. If the throne was unoccupied, the Shadow Mages may take the opportunity to make their move. Legacy was weighing her options when footsteps approached behind her. Legacy turned to see who they belonged to. The young man was taller than Legacy by a few inches, he walked with an air of confidence and carried himself in a manner that betrayed his strength. She had noticed him before, but never learned his name.